Meat-tree.



Patented July n, I899,

J. J. FITZGERALD.

M E A T T R E E (Application filed Dec. 27,

(No Model.)

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NITE rates it JOHN J. FITZGERALD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THEFITZ- GERALD MEAT TREE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MEAT-TREE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,784, dated July 11, 1899. Application filed December 27, 1897. Serial No. 663,686. (Nodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Trees, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This inventionrelates to improvements in devices to be used for handlingand hanging fresh, dried, or smoked meats; and it consists in certainpeculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation ofthe various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forthand specifically claimed.

Heretofore it has generally been the custom in transporting or shippingmeat by large slaughtering and packing establishments to either pack themeat-such as hams, shoul ders, sides, and the like-in boxes or barrelsor to pile it up on the fioorsof the cars,which method of shipping isobjectionable for the reason that when thus packed or piled up in thecars the meat becomes compressed, misshapen, and otherwise deleteriouslyaffected. Besides, it is often damaged by rats, which can easily attainaccess thereto by reason of the position itoccupies in the cars. \Vhenpiled up loosely in the cars, it is evident that each piece of meat mustbe separately handled, which requiresa great deal of time and muchlabor.

In smoking or chilling meats it has generally been customary tohang thepieces separately, or one at a time, on rafters, beams, or othersupports, which alsois a tedious and slow manner of handling the same.

It is therefore the object of my invention, first, to provide ameat-tree or device for handling and hanging a number of pieces of meatat one time and by the use of the same implement which shall be simpleand inex: pensive in construction, strong, durable, and effective inoperation; second, such a device which when loaded with meat may beeasily transferred from one point to another and securely suspendedwithin the freight-car or other place out of reach of rats or otheranimals, and, third, a meat tree or hanger which will support the piecesof meat suspended thereon in such a manner as to admit of perfeetventilation, or when used for chilling the in section showing 'a portionof a packing house, freight-car, and a track leading from one to theother and illustrating the manner of transporting a number of piecesofmeat on my tree. or hanger from the packing-house to the car andshowing one of the loaded trees suspended within the car. Fig. 2is adetached perspective view of a rollerhook used for conveying the hangeron the track from the house to the car. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation ofone of my hangers. Figs. 4. and 5 are similar views of modifica tionsthereof. The pieces of meat or hams are indicated in dotted lines. Fig.6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3, andFigs. 7 and 8 are fragmental views illustrating other modifications inthe construction of the suspending-hooks.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the diiferent views ofthe drawings. A represents the supporting-piece or body of my tree orhanger, which may be made of any suitable material, but usuallymetal,and of any desired dimensions. The upper end of the piece isprovided with a ring or opening a, and some distance below said ring islocated another one, a, the two rings affording openings in the upperportion of the supporting-piece for the reception, respectively, of asustaining-hook and a rod or bar to be used for transferring the treewhen loaded, as will be presently explained.

Arranged at proper points on the supporting-piece or body A and usuallyin groups of four (see Figs. 3 and 6) are a number of hooks h, whichhave their free ends rounded and turned inwardly toward the piece Ainorder to prevent the strings or cords by means of which .the pieces ofmeat are hungon said In Fig. 4 of the drawings I have shown amodification in the construction of the supporting-piece A and in thearrangement of the .hooks b thereon, which consists in forming orproviding the upper end of the piece or body A with a curved portion aand at some distance below said curved portion another curved part awhich curved parts form part of an opening or circle, as shown in thedrawings, and are for the reception of a sus taining hook and rod or barto be used for moving the treewhen loaded, as in the constructionillustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the supporting-piece or body made of a piece ofrope A and provided at its top with a ring a and somedistance'therebelow another ring a for the purposes above set forth. Onthe rope is secured at proper points a series of blocks 0, each havingthereon a number of hooks c,on which the pieces of meatmay be hung. Theblocks 0 may be clamped on or riveted to the rope forming the body orsupporting-piece, or the hooks 0 may be secured thereto in any desiredmanner.

'Figure 7 represents another modification in the construction of thesupporting-piece or body and of the hooks, which consists in securing tothe body A or making integral therewith at proper points thereon anumber of blocks or projections d, having in their outer portionsupturned spikes or hooks d,

standing beyond the periphery of the body and upon which the pieces ofmeat -may be impaled.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 7

. the blocks or projections 01 'Willserve to hold the pieces of meatapart, and thus rend'er the tree when so constructed especially usefulfor chilling meats.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated still another modification of the hooks,which I may some times employ and which consists in loosely securing onthe body A at proper points a series of hooks 2, each having aspring-tongue e to engage the free end of the hook, thus affordingsnap-hooks for the pieces of meat. It is apparent that the body orsupportingpiece of the tree may bemade of rope, leather, Wood, or metal,and I therefore do not desire to be limited to any specific material;but when a rope or other flexible material is employed the portionthereof between the rings wardly from the body orsupporting-piecesufficiently to leave a vertical opening alongside said body,interrupted only by said strings by which the meat is attached to thehooks, and

through this opening there is obviously permitted a free circulation ofair or current of liquid. Also the hooks just above the ring or openingthrough which the rod or bar is passed are sufficiently elevatedtherefrom to permit the free passage of said rod or bar withoutnecessarily disturbing the arrangement and location of said pieces ofmeat.

The operation of my device is simple and as follows: WVhen it is desiredto transfer a quantity of meat from one point to another, as fromthepacking-house O to the car D, which are represented in Fig. l of thedrawings as being connected by means of an elevated rail E, the piecesof meat are secured on the hooks of the body of the tree, when bypassing a rod, bar, or hand-spike through the opening near its middleand liftingtheupper ring or opening from the hook-f and then carrying itinto the cam-where it may be suspended by -means of the last-named'ringlor opening on one of the hooks g; secured on the rafters ofthe'car.

When the device is used for suspending the meat to be chilled, one pieceof meat only will be placed on each of the hooks.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described meat-tree comprising a continuoussupporting-piece or body provided at its upper end with means forengaging a support, and on its body a series of hooks arranged ingroups, thelatter beingso spaced that the m eathanging on the hooks ofany one group will rest against that on the hooks of the group nextbelow and will incline outwardly from the body so as to leave an uprightpassage near the same and facilitate circulation,substantially as setforth.

2. The herein-described meat-tree comprising a supporting-piece or bodyprovided at its upper end withmeans for engaging a su pport, a ring oropening in the body below said means for the reception of a transverserod or bar for lifting or transporting said tree, and on said bodyaboveand below the ring a series of hooks so arranged that the meat hangingon the hook next above said ring will permit the free passage of the bartherethrough, substantially as set forth.

JOHN J. FITZGERALD.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. G. TILLMAN. E. A. DUGGAN'.

